A computer engineering student is using ChatGPT to overcome learning challenges linked to her dyslexia

• French college student Myriem Khal uses ChatGPT to overcome learning challenges linked to her dyslexia.
• Khal passed her final exams with flying colors after using the AI tech to restructure course materials.

Students may use OpenAI's ChatGPT to plagiarize and cheat, leading schools around the world to ban the tool, but at least one college student is using it to overcome her learning disability.

Myriem Khal, a French computer engineering student with dyslexia, told Insider that she has used the buzzy AI chatbot to help her understand her course materials. The results, so far, have been promising.

"I got great marks for my final exams," Khal said.

Since she was a kid, Khal said she has struggled to learn English and other languages because of her dyslexia.

Even though she excelled at technical subjects like math and science, learning how to read and write in a different language was "horrible" and "very difficult." Large blocks of text were confusing, grammar didn't click, and she often struggled to formulate a thought on paper. Still, she had dreams of becoming an engineer, so she pushed through her studies and managed to do well in school.

"I have always needed to work harder than others, and I have always fought to be as bright as possible in my studies," Khal said.

Now 23, Khal said her studies came to a head earlier this year when she took a five-week class on artificial intelligence. The course was taught in English, and she struggled to grasp concepts like 'semantic networks' — even when she translated them to her native tongue.

"The teacher was very technical," Khal said. "I didn't understand anything she said."

Khal discovered ChatGPT during finals in January. After learning what it can do, she decided to use the chatbot to study by rearranging class material in a way that made sense.

Khal would ask ChatGPT in French to, say, explain the links and differences between technical jargon like frames and network semantics. ChatGPT would respond in a simple, concise way, she said, adding that she'd always verify the responses with her class notes.

Simplifying the language, she said, helped her digest the material.

Using this method to study, she was able to pass her final exams with flying colors, boosting her overall GPA.

"It was information that was very easy to understand and very easy to remember," she said.

Khal has also used the AI tech in her English class to reconfigure NPR articles for class discussion and to help her come up with ideas for an essay on how the movie 'Forrest Gump' represents America, she said

Khal's university, University of Technology of Compiègne, has not banned ChatGPT, nor have her instructors.

Some learning disability experts worry about students becoming dependent on ChatGPT

Khal is one example of how AI tools like ChatGPT can be useful to manage every day challenges, but medical experts have mixed feelings on how useful they are as a medical device.

Dr. Pledger Fedora, the founder of the Dyslexia Institute for Literacy & Learning, told Dystinct, a magazine that covers learning difficulties, that assistive technology such as text-to-speech software can be "extremely beneficial" in supporting students with dyslexia. However, students can become dependent on these tools, which Fedora said could hurt the development of their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Dyslexia specialist Victoria Leslie, on the other hand, said that she is "very concerned" about ChatGPT, per Dystinct. It can encourage students to "outsource" thinking and tempt them to plagiarize when they struggle, which may impede learning, she said.

Even Khal remains skeptical about using ChatGPT after noticing its limitations, she said. The chatbot, at times, doesn't understand her questions, spits out answers that don't make sense, makes coding mistakes, and answers questions related to AI better than other topics.

Still, she said she will continue experimenting with ChatGPT in her studies with the knowledge that the chatbot isn't completely trustworthy.

Fact-checking is key for her method to work, Khal said. "It's just a tool."